The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-12-01
A QUEER OCCUPATION.
The Successful Career Of en- Ac-
cidcnt-Seeker.

IL was WIFI any iIllUP Out SJJiSIdC'
tion that / found myself compelled. 9
few weeks ago. TO make night
journey from SEanesville to Newton.
Centres. The firm for which | Travelled
was bent on opening up new terri
tory" an had sent me out as pioneer
Skanesville had not developed any con.
siderable desire for our goods. and, a;
its alleged best hotels offered most
undesirable compound of food and
worse beds, l determined to effect my
escape as soon as possible. To call
Skanesville Il "cross-road town. would
be gross fiattery. for if there is such a
term as n "cross- ten-road town." then
Skanesville is entitled to that designa-
ton. 1t had been difficult place to
get to. but n study of railroad guides
showed it even a more difficult place
to leave. This was probably The prin-
cipal reason of the growth of the town
"a fact on which the Skanesvi.lites
were given to boasfing. Two trains
left this inland paradise daily. at the
convenient hours of 11:30 p. H., and
4:25 a. IN. To get to Newton-Centres.
/ found I should have to change
three times on the night train.
and four on the early morn
ing train. As I had two heavy
sample-trunks. l chose the former. All
Skanesville seemed TO 90 to bed at
nine, so, shortly after that hour, |
went down to the depot, hoping to find
the ticket agent a little livelier COM
panion. In this was disappointed. as
he combined the office of station-master,
ticket-seller and porter. In the latter
capacity, he had shortly before wrestled
with my trunks. and, when he unhap-
PLY recognized me as their proprietor
he crushed severely all my attempts at
familiarity. So i sat and smoked. and
walked and smoked, till the train az
rived, which it naturally did about
forty-five minutes late. A sleeping-car
was an unknown luxury on that road,
so l had the prospects of pleasant
''sit-up," varied by the numerous waits
and changes in store for me. Fortu-
nately, though the car was pretty well
filled, l found two unoccupied seats,
and having had one turned over, pro-
cecded 20 make myself as comfortable
as possible, and tried to catch nap.
My comparative ease was short-lived,
for ut the next stopping-place several
people got on board, and though l
pretended to be asleep. one unfeeling
Individual came and sat himself on
such portion of the front seat as my
feet left uncovered. | watched him
through my almost closed eyelids, and
did not like his aspect. Something, l
did not know what, gave his counte-
nance a sinister look. AS he moved
toward the seat, | noticed that he
limped slightly in his walk. There was
certainly a kind of what the Scotch
term an ''uneasiness" about him, and
after few minutes took my feet from
the seat, pretended to rouse up and
mumbled Il word of apology about
taking up so muchroom. The stranger
begged me not TO mention it. and sug-
gested that my feet did not inconven-
Ience him. The steady glare with which
he seemed to be regarding me soon be-
came so unpleasant that proposed he
should have the seat turned over, and
thus avoid the disagreeablenesS of sit
ting with his back to the locomotive.
a don't mind that bit," said he;
''besides it's more dangerous.
More daugerous!" 1 repeated, in
establishment.
"Yes; haven't you noticed that in the
sleepers they always make up the berths
with the feet to the locomotive? That's
because if there's sudden jerk You are
thrown forward. Now. if your heads
against the forward partition. you prob
ably, in case of an accident, have your
skull split or break your neck"
Then aren't you afraid of sitting
that way?" l asked.
'.No, l like it.
Ibegan to fear that I had got into
the company of lunatic. l knew
there was an asylum somewhere in the
neighborhood. This mans looks, par
ticularly in the one eye on which the
dim light of the lamp fell. had the pecu-
liar glitter which had read was charac-
teristic of a mailman. And he never
took that eye off ME!
Iagain nearly closed my eyes and
pretended to be trying to sleep. but all
the time l was keeping a sharp look
out lest he should develop any violent
tendencies.
Soon the roadbed began to get so
rough that succession of sharp Jerks
nearly threw me off the seat Pretense
at sleep was no longer possible, SO 1
sat up, rubbed my eyes and remarked:
This is pretty rough road"
''You can bet it's about the worst 1
know in the whole country. That's
why I'm working it But Charley
Hicks is driving tonight and he's SO
careful I'm afraid there isn't any
chance"
There was no longer any doubt that
the man was mad. l glanced round
the car to see if there was an unoccu-
pied seat to which / could conveniently
move. There was not ! had heard it